Candidates on the right include former prime minister, and the current mayor of Bordeaux, Alain Juppé (the front-runner according to opinion polls), and Jean-François Copé, a one-time ally and now nemesis of former President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Now leader of the Republicans party, Sarkozy is widely expected to try to win back the Élysée Palace next year, while National Front leader Marine Le Pen is the high-profile hope on the far right.

Parliamentary elections will follow the presidential race, in June 2017.